1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the mounting of marine instruments such as depth finders, Global Positioning System (GPS) plotters, autopilots and the like. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved housing for supporting a marine instrument with a small footprint on a dashboard, wherein any water (such as rainwater, sea spray, etc.) is collected and channeled away from electrical supply cables that power the instrument.
2. General Background of the Invention
Many marine instruments are supported on the dashboard of a boat or vessel so that they can be viewed by the pilot. These marine instruments include depth finders, radios, GPS type plotters and position indicators; autopilots and the like. While many of these instruments provide a water tight or water proof housing, they are all supplied with electrical cables that typically fit sockets on the back of the instrument. Further, these electrical cables must communicate with the electrical system of the boat which is typically behind the dashboard in a dry location.
In order to supply electricity to dashboard mounted marine electronics, an opening must be drilled through the dashboard next to the dashboard location where the marine instrument is attached by bolting, for example.
Many marine instruments are mounted on a U-shaped yoke that affixes to the sides of the marine instrument with thumb wheels, screws, or knobs. The U-shaped yoke or cradle has slots or openings that form a connection with the thumb wheel, thumb screw, bolt, knob or the like. The yoke or cradle is secured to the dashboard of the boat with screws, bolts, or the like. Many of these yolks, cradles, and like supports have a very wide footprint, at least as wide as the instrument and sometimes slightly wider than the instrument. Further, most of these yolks simply provide an opening or port through which wires can pass or in fact no such opening is provided so that the wires or cables must pass through an opening in the dashboard immediately next to the yolk or cradle.
Openings through the dashboard of the boat are a source of concern to a boat owner because water, possibly salt water, can reach the dashboard of the boat during use and enter the area behind the dashboard which typically is covered with crowded electrical components, terminals, and the like.
Most of the yolks and cradles are simply open U-shaped devices that offer no protection whatsoever to the interface that includes the rear of the instrument, the electrical cables that form connections to the instrument at its rear surface, and the opening through which these electrical cables pass.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved marine instrument display mount that minimizes the area or "footprint" that the device makes with the dashboard while at the same time providing a large housing area for receiving an instrument of any size and at the same time protecting the delicate electrical cables and their connections that necessarily power the device.